Improvement in hats



them.

. according tovpatterns or shapes to'suit the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EOEEEr DUNLAP, OE NEW YOEK, N. v.

IVM PROVEM ENT IN HATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,384, dated June 27, 1865.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, ROBERT DUNLAP, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hats and Gaps; and I do hereby declareA that the` following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled inthe art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a hat, and Fig. 2 represents a-cap, each made according to my invention. Fig. 3 represents a portion of a hat or cap after the materials which compose its outer and inner surfaces have been united, showing the adhesive material which I place between Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. l

This invention consists in a novel construction of hats and caps, wherein the crown of a hat and the body of a cap are severally made of an outer cloth and an innercloth united together, after they are formed into shape, by' means 0f gutta-percha or its equivalent.

My Objectis theproduction of an article-that is to say, a hat or cap-whose crown or sides will be exible, so that thc article can be packed or rolled up, and also elastic, so that when relieved from constraint it will resume its proper shape. v y

In applying my invention to the making of caps, I have sought to give this character to its sides D as well as its crown E, and in applying it to the making of hats I have, in this example, sought to give it to all parts of the hat except the brim F, which is here shown stiff or without exibility. Y

My method of proceeding' is as follows: First, I cut the material of which the outside of the cap is to be formed in the usual way,

style of the hat or cap to 4be made. The parts which form the body or crown and sides of the article are then' sewed together in the common way,gthe seams occurring along the edges of the several, pieces or parts of thc crown and sides thereof, as seen in the drawings. I then cut the material of which the inside ofthe cap is to be made, and make up the several parts or divisions thereof in the same way as above explained for making the outside.

Any kind of textile fabrics, or, in other words, woven goods and knitted goods, can be used in carrying out my invention.

Havingprepared the outer and inner surfaces of the body of the article in the way described, it is found, if they are now united to each other by tacking or stitching, and then united to the brim, when a hat is being made, or to the frontpiece ifa cap is being made, that they are flexible and will yield to any pressure, and can be' rolled up into a small compass, but'that they have not an elastic character, so as to resumethe shape and outline of a hat or cap when released from constraint. 4

A common mode of giving such an elastic charac-ter to hats and caps made of cloth and of other exible inelastic material has been to 4interpose a mass of wedding or of paper or of some other material which is light and slightly elastic. Another mode is to unite the Outer and inner surfaces by means of a varnish or glue,'and in some cases use has been made of gum-shellac. heavy and accumulates an undue thickness of covering, so that it is injurious to the health of the wearcrs, and, moreover, the interposed waddiug or filling soon becomes crushed, and

faces have been cut and sewed to, and thenlay overv it a sheet of very thin gutta-perchaorits equivalent, which should be large enough to enable me to bring it easily around it so as to cover the saine. I thenlay over that the cloth Or other stuff which is to form the outer surface of the hat or cap. The stuff is to be so laid as that the guttapercha will not bein contact with the face sides thereof. The stuff is then secured to the block in any proper manner, and" the whole put into a steam-box or otherwise subjected to heat of about the tem- The firstmodc makes the article `peratureof free steam for about ten minutes,

until the gutta-percha is made to adhere to and cement the surfaces with which itis in contact. The sheets of gutta-percha may be of about the thickness of tissue-paper. After the cementation of the opposing surfaces has been effected, the body of the hat or cap may be sewed or otherwise secured to the rim or to the front piece, asvthe case may be. Thetrimmings of. the article may be arranged so as to present a iinished appearance on both its surfaces it' it is a cap, and also it it is a hat when the seam along the rim is made to allow the body to be turned.

The body of a hat or cap made aceordingto my invention possesses exibility, so thatit can be iiattened or disposed in any form which the brim or front piece admits of, and also elasticity, so that it will resume the shape ot' the pattern according to which it was cut when released from constraint, and this result will follow the said mode of construction when light goods are used to make said articles, as well as when heavy goods are used, and also when a surface of si1k,worsted, or other delicate texc ture is joined in the way described to stuft` of heavier' quality and ot1 a different character.

The gutta-percha may be applied in a liquid form instead of Iin sheets, andindia-rubber may be used,1n the manner above set forth, as ace- ROBERT DUNLAP.

`Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. L. TOPLIFF. 

